James Harrison, the baby blood donor

In 1951, a young Australian man named James Harrison underwent chest surgery and received a large number of blood transfusions to save his life. After his recovery, he decided to become a regular blood donor to help others in similar situations.

The rare blood type

During one of his donations, doctors discovered that Harrison had a rare blood type called Rh-negative blood, which contains an antibody called anti-D that is essential for saving the lives of newborn babies with hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). This disease occurs when an Rh-negative mother has an Rh-positive baby, which can cause a dangerous immune reaction.

The blood donation

Since then, Harrison has donated his rare blood more than 1,000 times in Australia, saving over 2 million babies worldwide. His donations allowed for the development of a vaccine against HDN, which has saved countless lives of babies and helped reduce the infant mortality rate.

The media attention

The story of Harrison and his rare blood donation went viral on social media and caught the attention of media outlets worldwide. His generosity and dedication to blood donation inspired many to follow his example and donate blood to help save lives.

His legacy of saving millions of babies with his rare blood has left a lasting impact on the medical community and inspired many to seek ways to help others.